The invention relates to a device for cleaning of vertically suspended lamellar blinds in the collapsed state. Devices of this type are used predominantly in the cleaning service industry.
Devices of this type are known in the art. The devices are basically comprised of a supply unit and a sprayer. The supply unit includes a moveable container which is equipped with several functional elements, such as a pump, a filter, a heater and respective control elements. The supply unit is connected through one or several connection lines with the sprayer which comprises a spray head with one or several nozzle bars and with a tube-like jacket foil.
A cleaning device is known wherein the described supply unit consists of a first and a second supply unit. The first supply unit includes the aforedescribed equipment found in a standard washing machine and is consequently filled only with a detergent solution. The second supply unit is also in the form of a moveable container and includes only a dedicated pump and a supply line which is connected to a distribution valve of the first supply unit. The second supply unit is constructed in the form of a rinsing machine and is thus filled with a rinse solution.
The lamellar blind is first washed for a certain time with the first supply unit. The detergent solution is fed to the spray head, where the solution emerges from the nozzles, runs down the lamellae and is then again collected with the open container of the first supply unit. For rinsing, the second supply unit is connected to the first supply unit. The rinse solution is here again fed to the spray head via the distribution valve of the first supply unit. The returning rinse solution is also discharged into the container of the first supply unit.
This device for cleaning of lamellar blinds is disadvantageous for several reasons. First, the design is rather complex, since each operation requires a supply unit of its own. This raises the cost of the whole cleaning device. Moreover, the operation of the device is complex and expensive. One of the two supply unit is always unused, since the second supply unit is not used during the washing operation and since the first supply unit is tied up during the rinsing operation and cannot be used for another lamellar blind. It is also disadvantageous that after the termination of the cleaning operation, the detergent solution and the rinse solution are intermixed in the container of the first supply unit and therefore cannot be reused for a subsequent cleaning.
From EP 352 496 B1 A, there is known cleaning device without some of these disadvantages. This device includes a dolly with supply containers for detergent solution and for rinse solution, respectively, as well as a pump and a heater. The dolly also includes a common supply container which can be set on the floor on location. When placed on the floor, the common supply container is filled from the appropriate feed container with either the detergent solution or the rinse solution. From here, the solution is conveyed to the spray head and then collected again as a dirty solution.
In order to drain the spent detergent solution, the supply container has to be raised above the level of the corresponding feed container. Thereafter, the supply container has to be positioned below the level of the other feed container in order to refill the supply container with the clean rinse solution.
Handling the feed containers is awkward and should be eliminated; moreover, handling is time-consuming and thus expensive. Moreover, the equipment required for each cleaning operation is too complex.